Do I Critique People's Artwork?

I have been approached many times during my career to do critiques for people but have always declined. This might seem strange but I have always believed that critiques do very little good simply because in my opinion those that do the critiques are very often take pleasure in demeaning the student. I have known students burst into tears by some so called expert and the sad thing is the ‘expert’ took pleasure from this. A painting that has already been completed by a student to the best of their ability is already a work of art. What is missing is the experience, the knowledge, the practice and the techniques and it is too late for this particular painting so why destroy someone’s confidence in this way.[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]Sunset Pastel PencilsWhat I prefer to do is encourage students by teaching them the techniques required, helping them select the correct tools and materials. Then show them by example and demonstration how it is done. Over the years this policy has held me in good stead and I could give you hundreds of examples of it’s success. I am sorry if this appears to be a negative response but I do have strong feelings on this subject. If you have read my "Art Story" or listened to the early episodes of our podcast, you may recall that while at senior school a painting that I was proud of was slated by my ‘expert art teacher’ and told in no uncertain terms that I would never be any good at art. I believed that for almost 25 years that is how much damage can be done.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Previous
Previous

Technique for Drawing Short Animal Fur

Next
Next

Lighting Setup for Drawing & Painting